Bobbi Sue Alercia captured in bedroom closet after car and foot chase

A woman wanted for a drug violation in Lehigh County since last year was captured in a bedroom closet after a car and foot chase in Northampton County, officials said.

Bobbi Sue Alercia was found in the closet of an apartment in the 400 block of Prospect Street in Nazareth around 7 p.m. Monday, after a police officer kicked in the door, officials said.

Alercia broke into the apartment with police pursuing her on foot after she had abandoned a white 2006 Mercury minivan she crashed into a patio deck at the rear of a home at 512 Walnut St., officials said.

Before the crash, Alercia led police on a high-speed chase through the center of the borough, after an officer recognized her as being wanted in Lehigh County and tried to make a traffic stop, officials said.

Court papers do not specify why Alercia was wanted, only that she had violated the Dangerous Drugs Act.

A search of the white minivan turned up a suspected glass crack pipe in Alercia's purse in the vehicle's console, officials said, adding that Alercia was driving the minivan with a suspended license and without the owner's consent.

Alercia, 30, of 286 Hemlock Lane, Upper Nazareth Township, Northampton Co., was arraigned on nine charges, including burglary, criminal trespass, reckless endangerment, unauthorized use of a vehicle and ignoring traffic signs, and committed to the Northampton County Prison on $40,000 bail, according to court documents.

A preliminary hearing is set for 2 p.m. Oct. 7.

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